Our regular run-down of as many of the upcoming Bloodstock bands as we can get to talk to us! Sathamel play the New Blood stage on the Sunday…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are officially Leeds based, however our members are now from various areas of the North of England
How long have you been playing together as a band?
The Band as an entity formed in 2013 under the original guise of “Sheol” and in 2014 we made the change to Sathamel and continued ever since. Dan and Nathan (Vocals and Guitar) have been a part of the band since it’s inception, we remained active until the winter of 2019 following the release of our debut album “Horror Vacui”. The pandemic put an end to the plans with promoting that album live and the band was dormant. Pat and Michael (Guitar and Drums) joined around 2021 during the lockdown easing during the pandemic, following the uncertainty that came with that time period, and we began real work on new music. Pat and Dan had played together in a death metal band named Decayed Messiah up until a short time before Sathamel forming. Lastly Dale (Bass) joined mid 2023 which signalled, finally, our return to the live scene.
Where does the name of the band come from?
In the beginning we had collectively decided we wanted a one-word name. As mentioned, we were originally named Sheol (the underworld place of stillness and darkness which lies after death)… it quickly became apparent that this band name was well used within the metal scene and causing confusion. As the band was originally set conceptually to deal with demonology, we looked through grimoires to select a new name, whilst trying to retain our signature “S” we had in the Sheol logo to make it clear this was the same band to the fanbase we had built. Sathamel is described as a judgment figure and was chosen for resonating with us all, at the time. We’ve been cursed ever since.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
In the past our music has been compared to the likes of a mix between Behemoth and Bolt Thrower. Our new material we have begun to define our own sound, we believe. We air toward the “Blackened Death Metal” approach but are unafraid of taking a more “modern metal” tact, striking the balance between brutality and memorability.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Visceral is how we would describe our live show. We have stripped back our performances from what we had been known for in the past and confront our audiences as authentically as possible.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Many of us amongst the band have been to bloodstock many times over. There has always been a real sense of community and “family” around the site with many patrons returning year after year, which is testament to Bloodstock’s management and organisation of the festival. Always an enjoyable experience and the highlight of the open-air festival season in the UK.
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Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We didn’t enter M2TM, though by all accounts and the various heats we have attended as audience members, the competition has been quite fierce across the genre. We saw a post on social media stating the various channels to apply for a slot at bloodstock. We sent an email with our interest and after sometime were informed we were shortlisted and offered the Sunday Slot on the Newblood stage.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
“Disbelief” and “Anticipation” would probably be the words we would choose.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
We have 30 minutes, so hope to showcase as much of our band as possible. We will have a healthy mix of our new and older material.
Stage times haven’t been announced yet, so which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
Looking at the lineup on Sunday, one band we definitely would like to see is Septicflesh.
What are you working on at the moment?
We have some info on a release due imminently, alongside working on live plans into 2025. In between we will surely be working on material for another full-length release.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Nothing particularly wild has happened on stage to us. Things seen are possibly best not mentioned, it’s usually at festivals and involves human waste or bodily fluids in general, we will leave that there!
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
A few beers and room temperature water. In our formative years it may have been some form of whiskey and/or Buckfast but those days are long gone. However, if our set is early enough in the day we may knock back a cup of our “Rot Roast” Coffee, our signature blend in collaboration with Black Coffee Worship!
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Sathamel: facebook | instagram | spotify | bandcamp | youtube
